Snowflakes in July
by Can'tThinkOfaUsername
Summary: Belle story based on a spoiler, so if you don't like spoilers, please don't read.
1. Chapter 1

**Snowflakes in July**

_This story's based on a spoiler that hasn't really been confirmed yet, so it might not be true, but anyway, again, if you don't like spoilers, don't read just in case. Otherwise, enjoy :)_

_Chapter 1 is very short, but more coming soon._

--

Rachel knocked the door gently and entered as her colleague grumbled, "Come in".

She sighed, taking in his depressed, almost guilty expression. She knew all too well how he was feeling. No matter how many patients you had treated, it never got any easier when you had to give bad news.

"Look, I'm so sorry for dragging you out here like this, Rachel. You should be at home, what with the baby and everything. You shouldn't have to come to work when you're on maternity leave; I should have asked someone else, I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't be silly, don't worry about it.", she assured him, interrupting his worried ramble, "Tony's with the baby- it's not a problem. So what's going on?"

He glanced down at the sheet in front of him, " Female, 20 years old, history of addiction, just been diagnosed with a very aggresive form of stomach cancer. She came in a couple of days ago with complaints of strong fatigue and abdominal pain, so I took her in for a CT scan. The results were too hard to confirm, so we called her back for a gastroscopic exam, hoping it could have just been a benign ulcer. Unfortunately, it's definitely stomach cancer, and it's in the late stages." He sighed again. "It's spread to the pancreas and liver. I've contacted several specialists in the city about the results and they've pretty much said that the cancer has advanced too much for any treatment to be successful. We could try, but the chances of recovery are negligable."

They sat in silence for a moment. Even though it was their job, both hated having to deal with situations like this. It was almost impossible to think clearly and logically without being affected by an emotional attachment to the patient. Patients like this were particularly difficult. As the only specialist psychiatric doctor at the hospital, Rachel hadn't been surprised to be called in. They had a strong policy in place to look after patients with a history of any sort of mental health problems, if they were experiencing something that could send them into relapse. She didn't mind helping out. It usually just involved talking to them, and trying to find a way to somehow support them. Anything could spark a relapse- a fight, anything. She would always do her best to help the patient get back on track, and it normally worked. This, however, was different. Sitting in front of someone who's been to dragged Hell and back in the past, and telling them something that would undoubtedly send their world crashing down; that was one of the hardest things anyone could ever have to do.

"How did she take the news?" Rachel asked quietly.

"Not too badly, I suppose", he replied, "She wasn't expecting it, that's for sure. I don't think it's quite hit her yet. The thing is, Rachel, I haven't told her how serious it is. I was worried it might be too much for her to take in. She's so young, and her records show she's still recovering from a drug addiction."

He was speaking hesitantly, shifting about and fidgeting. Rachel immediately sensed his awkwardness and knew he wasn't giving the full story. She looked up at him with expectancy.

"Rachel, it's Belle Taylor".


	2. Chapter 2

-

Belle jumped at the sight of Rachel. She'd been in a sort of trance for the last while; it could have been a minute, or it could have been an hour; she'd no idea. She'd just been wandering around outside the hospital, waiting for the words to sink in, but they never did.

Rachel walked over cautiously and placed her hand on Belle's shoulder, indicating for her to sit down on the bench. She'd been in this position before with Martha, but still was lost for words, because as horrible as Martha's situation was, she had more stability in her life at the time than Belle had now. Belle was only just beginning to get back on track with things. She was busy trying to balance looking after Irene, taking care of Annie and Geoff, and having a relationship with Aden, all on top of battling a drug addiction. She was doing so well, but this: this just threw everything up in smoke.

After contemplating what to say for a moment or two, she finally settled with, "Belle, I'm so sorry".

The awkward silence continued before she spoke again, "I want you to know that I'll do whatever I can to help you through this".

Belle shook her head and hastily stood up in panic, "No! No, you can't do that Rachel. It's not fair on you. You shouldn't have to worry about me. Not after everything that happened before. I mean, come on Rachel, I- I ruined your wedding day! That's meant to be the best day of your life, and, and I messed it up. I can't make you help me now when you should be spending time at home, with the baby, not worrying about someone else-"

She had started off speaking slowly, until her words just escalated into a babble of panic before Rachel had the chance to calm her down.

"Belle! Belle, listen to me", she encouraged slowly, "You didn't ask me to do anything, ok. I want to help you. I'm _not_ letting you do this all on your own. Whatever happens, Belle, I mean what I'm saying right now, I'm not leaving you."

She was quickly slipping out of doctor mode and into friend mode.

"I've done a lot of research on cancer, Rachel", Belle admitted quietly after a while, her voice shaking, "and.. and I know this is bad." She stared at the ground. "I'm going to die soon, aren't I?"

It wasn't really a question; it was more of a statement. They both knew the answer. Rachel knew she probably was supposed to either say something medical or give her the honest truth upfront, but her motherly instincts took over and she just wrapped her arms around her shaking friend.

A million things were running through Rachel's mind as she tried to hold herself together enough to console Belle. Even though there was no real way she could have known, guilt still washed over her for not recognising any of the symptoms sooner. That was the thing about stomach cancer though- because early growth showed so few symptoms, the disease was nearly always very advanced by the time of diagnosis. She'd had very little experience of working with patients with this type of cancer; certainly none as young as Belle; but even still, the facts were ringing clear in her mind- since early detection didn't happen, there was less than a 15% chance of surviving for more than 6 months. All too often, it was much less than 6 months.

It was a cruel illness. Something so unnoticable to begin with, that simply crept up on people and spiralled out of all control soon after diagnosis. Rachel couldn't bear the thought of what the next few weeks would bring. Belle, Irene, Annie, Geoff and Aden. Right now, out of all the people in the bay, they were probably the least deserving of another tragedy- not that anyone in the world deserved something so awful. They'd all came through so much; how could this not destroy them?

She felt Belle start to cry into her shoulder. She seemed so vulnerable and helpless.

"It's going to be ok, it's going to be ok," she whispered, knowing neither of them believed it. Rachel closed her eyes as she stroked Belle's hair, trying to fight back tears. She had to stay strong. This was a mess, a total mess, but she'd no choice but to be strong for Belle's sake.

Rachel's phone buzzed in her pocket. She sighed and put it away, "It's just Tony", she said, "It's alright, he's probably just wondering where I am. I can explain to him later".

"Answer it", Belle mumbled, guilt and worry in her eyes, "I'm sorry, Rachel. You don't deserve to have to deal with this. You've enough to worry about at home."

She wasn't the crying type, but Rachel couldn't stop her eyes from welling up at hearing this. She couldn't stand to see Belle feel guilty for needing someone, for being human. It had been the same with the drugs. She was always so hard on herself. She did whatever she could to help other people; Irene, Aden, Annie; but always felt bad anytime anyone ever did the same for her. She couldn't do this on her own.

"Belle", she pleaded, placing her hand on her wrist, "none of this is your fault. You've nothing to feel guilty for. This..this is unavoidable. I really meant what I said earlier- I'm not going to leave you". The words were painful to say. Just this morning, everything was fine. Tony and the baby were doing great, everything was running smoothly. It's funny how a few hours can turn everything upside down. Here she was by early afternoon, telling a friend who was barely an adult, that she was going to die.

The solemn silence hung in the air once more as they sat back down on the bench. Both of their minds were spinning with thoughts, worries, fears, with what-if's, whys, and hows. There were no answers. Perhaps there were never going to be any answers. Things- they just happen. And it's horrible.

Time had passed- maybe moments, maybe hours- before they regained the composure to slide out of their trances.

"What do I do now?" Belle asked sincerely, pain still thick in her voice, "Go back to the diner?"

She knew she couldn't change anything. It seemed pointless not to just carry on as normal, but it seemed weirdly wrong to ignore it at the same time. When life and death came into the equation, everything else just seemed so irrelevant.

"Maybe it's best if you take it easy for the rest of the day", Rachel encouraged her, "You're more than welcome to come back to my house for as long as you need. Tony will completely understand. It might make things a little easier to have a bit of time to think before seeing all the others". Her heart went out to Belle at the thought of her having to face everyone. How was she meant to tell Irene and Aden, after everything they'd been through?

"No, its ok", she replied, "Thankyou, but I should probably go home".

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Rachel asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. Yeah I'll be fine. I just need to get my head around this."

"That's no problem", she said gently, "I'll drive you back now".

They drove back in total silence. It wasn't an awkward silence. It seemed.. right. Well, nothing seemed right at that moment in time, but it was bearable. Words- they kept bringing pain. For the next while, bearable would just have to do.


	3. Chapter 3

-

It was around 4 in the morning when Belle woke and quickly sat up, out of breath. Aden groaned, rolling over as her sudden movement snapped him out of a deep sleep.

"Ugh, what time is it?" he mumbled groggily, thinking they'd overslept. Confused when he got no reply, he turned around to face her. She was shaking and sweating, tears streaming down her face.

"Hey, hey what's the matter, Belle!? Are you okay?" he asked, worried. He immediately put his arms around her, holding her in a strong embrace, and rocked her like a child until she calmed down enough to speak.

"I've got cancer", she spluttered.

He smiled to himself for a brief second, relieved nothing was wrong. She really was quite adorable when she was scared and confused. He was tempted to laugh at her mistake, but the sound of honest fear was so evident in her voice that he had to change his tone.

"It was only a nightmare", he assured her gently, still holding her tight. "You're okay. You're okay".

She winced at his misinterpretation.

"Belle", he said, getting concerned now as he thought about it more, "You never told me you were still worrying over the construction site. I know how much that upset you before, and you must still be thinking about it a lot if it's giving you nightmares."

She had to force herself to give an answer, "I- I don't know", she replied, almost inaudibly.

He held her at arms length and looked into her eyes with a small, sincere smile, trying to let her know it was all ok.

"Look", he said, "Try not to worry about it. How about you try and get some sleep, yeah? You look exhausted".

She nodded weakly, unsure of what else to do.

"Alright. Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.", she replied with a small laugh. It was very unconvincing, but at 4am, he was far too tired to notice.

He smiled back. "You're so cute when you've had a bad dream. I love you, you know", he added, before gently kissing her forehead and falling back to sleep.

Belle lay awake. He was right- she was exhausted, but the thought of sleeping never even entered her mind. She watched Aden sleep for a while, tears still in her eyes. Guilt surged through her everytime she looked at his peaceful, content expression. What would the truth do to him? He did love her. Knowing that she was going to have to leave him made her hate herself. Even though she didn't have a choice, part of her felt like she was about to do something really.. wrong. Thinking about what she was going to have to put the people she loved through; it sort of made her feel like a criminal. Their possible reactions were the only thing she could think about. The rest of her mind was numb. Aden would be alone. Annie would be terrified- she was like a little sister to Belle. Her and Geoff- they'd lost people before, it wasn't fair for it to happen to them again. And Irene. God, she'd had enough suffering in the last month or two to last several lifetimes. It wasn't right. It just wasn't right.

She was scared and alone. Aden was so happy, so oblivious to the truth. She couldn't bear to ruin things for him. She adored him. God only knows how long she would live for. It could be days. It could be weeks. But it wouldn't be months, and that terrified her. It was like taking a 5 year old's painting and ripping it up in front of their eyes. Everything she'd fought to get, everything she'd worked for, everything the people she loved had pulled together; it was all being torn to shreds.

Her mind was in overdrive, bombarded with worries. How would she tell them? Or would it be better to just keep it a secret- to leave them with a few extra weeks of happiness, before their world's came crashing down? She was pretty sure that more bad news would be enough to send Irene over the edge right now. Doing it alone would be tough. Actually, it would be more than tough. It would be Hell. Though, in a strange, almost twisted way, she felt like she deserved to suffer for having to put the pain of loss on other people. This cancer was certainly not her fault, but in such a confused state, she couldn't help but blame herself.


	4. Chapter 4

After about 5.30am, Belle couldn't stick lying in bed anymore and just resorted to pacing about downstairs. Decision-making was driving her crazy. She was trying to figure out the best way to break the news to everyone else.

Should she tell them upfront? It seemed right to be honest, but was it really fair to put them through the pain of watching someone die? Finding out she was dead would be bad enough; was it really necessary to make the people she loved suffer even more for weeks beforehand? The more she thought about it, the worse this option seemed. Everyone would be treading on eggshells around her, trying to be strong, but inevitably falling apart in the background. Her last few weeks would be full of an unbearable sadness and sense of loss before she was even gone. Feeling those things herself was one thing, but having everyone around her feel them too; it would just make everything worse. As much as she didn't want to believe this, she knew she didn't have long left with them. She didn't want them to be sad, and she didn't want pity either.

Her second option was to do it alone. That way, no-one else would have to suffer for any longer than necessary. In her heart, this was the best way. She would be strong enough to do it without help if she put their best interests at heart, and if she was really struggling, there was always Rachel. She could just pretend nothing was wrong, go about things as normal, and slip away when the time came. No-one would need to know until the hour she died. Of course, this option certainly had it's flaws. Although it seemed fairer on them in some ways, in other ways it was one of the cruelest ways to leave; without a goodbye. They'd have no preparation for her death. They'd just wake up one morning and be hit with the news. They'd have to wonder why she hid something like this from them. They'd have no idea how to handle the future. It wasn't really right to protect them for a few weeks if she was just going to throw them in at the deep end straight after. And there was always Geoff and Annie, with their honesty thing; going behind their backs again seemed wrong, but she felt like she didn't really have a choice.

This led her to lean towards option three. She could tell them she was going away. Leaving Summer Bay for good. This way, they'd be shocked, of course, but the shock was going to come sooner or later anyway. They'd be angry, probably, but wasn't that better than sad? This way, they'd have time, a few weeks, to prepare themselves for her leaving. She'd have time for a proper goodbye. She'd tell them she needed to make a fresh start, that although things were good now, it wouldn't last forever, and she had to get away. That wasn't strictly lying, was it? This way, she'd spare them a few weeks of heartbreaking worry, she wouldn't get the dreaded pity, and they'd sort of be eased into the situation a little more, knowing that she wasn't coming back. Her mind was telling her this option was right; as hard as it would be, it seemed right, even if it still meant lying to everyone.


	5. Chapter 5

Her thoughts were interrupted after a few hours of pacing around, by Aden coming up from behind and wrapping her in a giant bear hug.

"Morning gorgeous! I'm off to the gym for a couple of hours, then we've the rest of the day to ourselves, yeah?" he said energetically, or at least that's what she thought he said; it was hard to decipher his words whilst he devoured his toast.

"Aden! Do you have to talk with your mouth full _every single morning_?" she asked in a Claudia-style tone.

"Course I do Belle! It's called multi-tasking! Who said men can't do that?" he grinned.

"I don't know, but whoever said they can't do it well deserves a medal", she teased, before adding, "Go on then. I'll see you later".

He kissed her forehead then bounded out the door like a rabbit. His good mood made up her mind for her. There was no way she was going to tell him the real truth now. There was no way she was just going to leave him all of a sudden without a goodbye either. She'd seen him at his lowest. Option two would undoubtedly send him back to that. His adorable grin and bright eyes; how could she send him back into a downward spiral? Option three seemed the only way to break the news at all fairly. They were going to hate her for just leaving them, but it had to be done, and it had to be done as soon as possible.

-

Aden came back to find her sitting on the sofa quietly, obviously worrying about something.

"Is something wrong?", he asked gently.

She shrugged, unsure of what to do or say. "Look, Aden, there's something I want to talk to you about, all of you actually- Irene, Geoff and Annie should know too. Is it ok if we go over there now?"

She looked like she was on the verge of tears, so although he was confused and wanted to ask her a million questions, he just hugged her, nodded and said, "Yeah, sure. I'll get the car".

-

Irene and Annie were tidying up when they came in, and Geoff was just heading out the door.

"Oh hello you pair!" Irene smiled, "it's lovely to see you".

"How's life in the love nest?" Geoff asked, "Not killed each other yet?"

Irene and Annie laughed, but stopped quite quickly when they acknowledged Belle's sad eyes and Aden's almost awkward, confused expression as he hovered around his girlfriend.

"Is everything ok, love?" Irene asked Belle.

She shifted about uncomfortably in reply, not really ready to speak.

"Belle just has something she wants to talk to us about", Aden said.

"Is there any chance we could do it later?", Geoff asked, "It's just I promised Nicole I'd help her out with some homework today".

Aden noticed how pale Belle was going and decided he'd answer for her. Whatever was annoying her was clearly important.

"Sorry mate, I think this is kinda important and we'd better do it now if that's alright", he said.

"I'll just put the kettle on", Irene mumbled, surprised something was wrong- Aden and Belle had seemed so happy all week.

-

They filed into the living room after a moment and sat down, awkward and anxious.

Belle was trying to organise her thoughts into words. How the hell were you meant to tell your favourite people in the world that you were going to willingly leave them in a few weeks?

"I don't really know how to say this.." she started, her voice cracking, "but I'm leaving. For good. I'm leaving Summer Bay for good".

The next minute or two was a blur. She couldn't continue. For some reason her mind just blanked before she could speak again. She'd had many difficult conversations in her life, but this was by far the hardest, the most cruel. Questions just whizzed past her. 'What?' 'Are you serious?' 'Belle!' 'Why?' 'Speak to us Belle!' 'Please tell us you're only kidding!' 'What's going on?' 'You're leaving?! You can't leave!' She couldn't really hear them. It was bizarre. It like she wasn't really in the room. Then she felt Aden's gentle hand on her face, wiping away her tears and the blur started to fade and she came crashing back down to reality. It was time to give answers- answers she didn't really have.


	6. Chapter 6

The bombardment of questions had blended into a high-pitched buzz that she was trying to block out of her mind. She couldn't think straight.

Aden's authoritive voice stood out above the others. "Has something happened, Belle?" he asked firmly, but in a concerned way.

She shook her head, trying hard not to cry. This was a lot more difficult than she'd imagined it would be. She was starting to wish she'd chosen one of the other options.

"No..nothing's happ-happened." She paused for a second. "I've just been thinking. A lot, and..and I need to get away."

She glanced up at them for a second and immediately wished she hadn't. Their fearful eyes and worried expressions threw her mind right off track again. Lying wasn't easy. She knew she had to pull herself together though. This had to be done.

"Things are great at the moment", she continued slowly, her voice shaking, "and for as long as I can remember, nothing good- nothing good ever seems to last. You put everything you have into something and it falls apart. I can't stay here anymore. I never thought I'd grow so close to any of you, never mind all of you. I love you all too much, and if I stay here any longer, I feel like I'll just ruin everything. It always seems to happen. Once I love someone enough, then either I do something or they do something and everything is ruined. Nothing can describe heartbreak. See, I know this doesn't make any sense, but please, please try to understand where I'm coming from. I've had my heart broken and I've broken other people's hearts over and over again. I've never cared as much about anyone as I care about all of you."

She was really struggling, but forced herself to continue. They needed an explanation, no matter how stupid or untrue it was.

" Change happens far too often and all good things just end too soon, and the closer we get to each other, the harder it's going to be when that happens. That's why I need to leave so soon. I'm scared of loving you any more than I do now. I'm scared I'll hurt you all again. If I go now, then that's only going to happen once. God knows how many mistakes I'd make in the future, how many times I'd hurt one of you, or even all of you. I know it sounds stupid, but I've been thinking about this for a long time, and I've really made my mind up. I'm so, so sorry to do this to all of you, but it's the only way".

Aden suddenly just errupted.

" 'But it's the only way'! What the hell is that supposed to mean, Belle?! It's not the only way! You're being stupid. Just stay! What do you mean you don't want to hurt us? Just walking out and leaving and never coming back- don't you think that's going to hurt us?! Yeah, stuff happens. There's no avoiding it. It's called life, Belle!"

Tears were streaming down her face as she tried to think of a way to justifyably contradict something that she believed in too. He was right.

"Please, Aden, I really don't want to do this to you, but I have to. I just have to", she said grabbing his hands.

"No you don't!" he argued, shoving her away in anger, "You don't have to go anywhere Belle! The only thing anyone will ever 'have' to do is die. The rest is just choice".

She cringed at the bitter irony of his words.

"And I've chosen to leave, Aden!" she replied, much sharper than she'd intended. She hated being so harsh, but it was the only way to make them accept it.

"I'm sorry", she mumbled after, "I've made up my mind".

They sat in a stunned silence for a moment. This didn't seem real to any of them. It was too unexpected, just completely out of the blue. They couldn't really get their heads around what this meant for the future. Everyone was lost in thought, almost too scared to speak because reality just seemed too hard to deal with right now.

"So that's it then", Geoff said sadly after a while, "You're really leaving".

She nodded silently.

The momentary stillness ended and they started to slip out of their frozen positions, more natural now as reality hit them, almost as if they were waking up from a nightmare that turned out to be true.

Geoff put his arm around Annie's shoulder and consoled her as she cried. Irene moved closer to Belle and sat down beside her. She hated seeing Belle get so upset. It broke her heart to know that she was leaving. She didn't understand her reasons, but she knew Belle well enough to be sure that whatever her decision was, it was made with the right intentions. She was also sure that Belle was more stubborn than anyone she'd ever met before. When she'd made up her mind, there was no changing it, so as much as she hated accepting it, there was no point in arguing.

"Belle, sweetheart," she said gently, "Where are you going to go?"

"I'm going to go stay with Cassie for a while. I've already spoken to her about it. She said it's ok. And after that, I'm going to find a job somewhere. Anywhere. I'll find a town and move there. I just really, really need to leave".

Irene nodded calmly.

"I'm going in about three weeks", Belle added solemnly, staring at the floor to avoid their reactions.

"But you can't! You can't leave!" Annie begged her helplessly.

She reluctantly nodded, fighting back tears. Annie reminded her too much of her younger self sometimes. Stubborn, strongwilled, and so desperate for the people she loved to stay with her. "I'm so sorry, Annie", she said, so quietly it was almost a whisper.

Annie shook her head and just ran upstairs to her room. This was all just wrong.

Aden stormed off outside, unable to control his anger.

"Aden, wait!" Belle pleaded, starting to go after him.

"Don't!" he shouted angrily, turning around abruptly to face her.

She suddenly seemed so vulnerable, and despite how angry he was with her, he couldn't stand to upset her and instantly regretted his intimidating tone.

"Just go back inside", he mumbled quietly, "I just need to be on my own for a while".

Geoff and Irene exchanged worried looks. They didn't understand how or why this was happening.

Belle was finding it impossible to stay strong. Lying, doing something so wrong, seeing them suffer so much over something that wasn't even true; it was gutwrenching. She tried not to think about how they'd eventually react to the real news.

She went up to Annie's room and sat on the edge of her bed.

So this- this was what real heartbreak felt like.


	7. Chapter 7

Belle played with a thread from the blanket on the bed, twisting it round and round, eyes transfixed, mind a million miles away. She fidgeted uncomfortably out of nerves. It was hard to think of what to say, but it was even harder knowing that whatever you did say wasn't even true.

Annie was facing the other direction. They'd been sitting there for around ten minutes without even acknowledging each other's presence.

Annie started to speak, still not facing Belle.

"If this had been a year ago, I'd have been really happy for you. A fresh new start could have been good. But now- now it's just..wrong. If you weren't in a relationship, maybe it would seem ok, but you _belong_ here Belle. We're your family. We love you so much. And there's Aden.."

Belle just listened. She didn't know how she was meant to answer that, so she didn't try to.

"You've made this great life here. You said so yourself- everything's good now. How can you try so hard to make things right and then just run away from it all and leave everyone who loves you behind? Are you even going to allow us to visit you? To call you?!" Annie said, voice getting higher in pitch as she went along, getting more and more worked up.

She bit her lip to stop herself crying and shook her head, still staring down. She couldn't completely lie. Annie needed some truth. She had the right to know that after a few weeks, they were never going to see or hear from each other again. Annie had to prepare herself for that, regardless of what she believed to be the motives behind it.

Annie's mind was a whirl of confusion. How had this just happened, out of nowhere? Nothing was sinking in yet.

"I miss you too much Belle", she said helplessly, practically begging her to stay, "I miss you now and you're only living at Roman's! How can you just leave? That means we're never going to see you again! Belle please! Please can you just stay! I hate it when you're not around. When you went to rehab- that was horrible, not having you there. That was only a few weeks. What's it going to be like when you're gone forever?! We need you to be here! You're my big sister now. I love you. We all do. And I thought you felt the same, but clearly not when you're just going to walk out on everyone!"

"Annie, please, you know that's not true", she pleaded.

"Then why would you do something like this?!" she asked desperately, too upset to sound angry.

"Because I have to Annie. I know nothing makes sense, but I need you to trust me. You'll understand soon, I promise, but for now, I need you to just believe me when I say that I have to do this". She spoke slowly and sincerely.

There was something about the way that she said that that made Annie accept that she wasn't going to change her mind. She was really leaving them forever. Slowly, it was starting to sink in.

Belle was finding it almost unbearable to watch someone so close to her, someone so young, just dissolving over something she had said. Annie never asked for much. She was never complicated. All she honestly wanted was for the people she loved to be together and be happy. It seemed so wrong to have to deny her that. She'd seen Annie get confused before. She'd seen her get angry. She'd seen her upset. But she'd never looked so..lost, so genuinely sad and lonely.

She hugged her tightly and allowed Annie to just cry into her shoulder. She shouldn't be told to be strong- because Belle was regrettably certain that she'd have to be strong far too often in the future. For now, she should just get to act how she felt. Belle gave up and just stopped trying to hide the fact that she was crying too. She was actually terrified at the thought of leaving Annie, just as much as she didn't want to leave Aden. The whole afternoon was just too weird. Her words may have been lies, but the way she felt and acted was all too real. Regardless of how or why she was leaving, she was still leaving. It wasn't like she was just going off to uni or something- she wouldn't get to come home to visit. Once she left, there would be no going back.

She didn't want to let go of Annie, and from the way she was acting, Annie knew she didn't have the full story. Belle didn't just do things like this. There had to be a reason. Though, for once in her life, Annie didn't ask more questions. She trusted Belle too much.

They sat back down on the bed again after a few minutes. They looked up at each other and smiled weakly at their faces- mascara running, eyes red. They were too drained to laugh.

"When I leave, Annie, please don't give up", Belle said seriously. Too many things had gone wrong for Annie before. Now she was going to be almost alone- Irene hadn't fully recovered yet, and Geoff and Claudia's rocky relationship meant the house was always strained with tension. It would be so easy for her to find it too hard to cope. Belle knew Annie was tough though. She'd find a way through. It would be hard, and it wasn't fair to expect so much from her, but she could do it.

Annie nodded quietly.

They both began to become aware of the growing noise coming from downstairs. Aden was clearly back, and he, Geoff and Irene were all getting worried and impatient.

"You'd better go see them", Annie said.

Belle got up to give her another hug.

"Annie, are you ok?" she asked gently. She knew the answer, but she needed Annie to know that she cared. It wasn't fair for her to have to deal with so much.

She remembered something Geoff used to tease his sister with and tried to lighten the mood a little.

"So Annie are you ok? Are you ok, Annie?" she sang quietly.

Annie hummed the next bit of the song in reply. She didn't really have the energy to laugh, but it had made her feel a little bit better.

Her eyes started welling up again though- she couldn't really help it, but she knew Belle had to go speak to the others and told her to go back downstairs.

Belle heard footsteps at the door as she came into the living room. They really didn't need visitors right now, and she was sort of regretting opening the door, but was glad she did when she saw Ruby standing there.

Ruby scanned her eyes across the room and noticed all the tearstained faces and worried expressions.

"I'm so sorry", she said quickly, feeling very awkward, "Is something wrong? I didn't mean to interrupt. I was just looking for Annie. Is this a bad time though? It was nothing important".

"Don't apologise", Belle said, "Yes, something is wrong. It's not a bad time though. Go on upstairs. Annie is in her room. I think it might help her to have you there. She could really do with a good friend right now".

Ruby nodded and went upstairs.

Belle sighed. She was a little relieved to have someone take care of Annie for a while, but she was still filled with dread at the thought of facing everyone else.

-

_If you have a second, please review- I don't mind if it's bad :)_


	8. Chapter 8

-

_Just in case anyone's getting confused, I know this storyline has already started on the actual programme but I'm kinda disregarding anything that happens from now on (episode 4885 onwards) in the programme for this story because the UK is a few weeks behind so it would get a bit confusing. And sorry if parts of the story are nothing like what actually happens- eg. Rachel and the baby, Belle's reaction etc._

-

Belle stood awkwardly as Irene and Aden stared at her with expectancy. Geoff was feeling out of place and slipped off upstairs to avoid the tension.

"Sit down girlie", Irene said, and she reluctantly took a seat.

"Now that the kids are gone, maybe you will tell us what this is really about", she continued.

Although Aden hadn't spoken yet, Belle knew he hadn't calmed down at all. It was almost as if anger was radiating from him. She wasn't surprised. She couldn't blame him at all for feeling that way. If he had just decided to walk out and leave, she'd be furious too.

"No, I meant what I said earlier", she replied.

"Come on Belle", Irene said gently, "Something must have brought this on. I know you gave your reasons, but there has to be more to it than that. You're a tough little thing, Belle. You don't just run away like that. One of us must have done something to upset you. It must have been pretty bad to make you want to pack your bags and leave for good. Tell us what it is and we'll try to fix it. "

She shook her head, and spoke honestly, "No, none of you have done anything wrong. This isn't anyone's fault. I told you all the same reason earlier because none of you are to blame in any way."

"So you're leaving because of nothing?! That makes no sense Belle! I don't believe you'd do that. If it wasn't me, and it wasn't Irene, then it must be someone else. And it's hardly going to be Geoff or Annie- they're too good. So who was it then? If someone did something to hurt you, I want to know about it!" Aden argued.

His tone was intimidating and loud. He was standing over her, practically glaring at her. He lost his temper easily and even though she knew he was only acting this way because he loved her, she was still scared.

"_No-one_ did anything wrong, Aden, I told you. I just need to get away," she said, almost silently. Despite trying, she couldn't seem to make her voice any louder.

"What sort of an excuse is that Belle?!" he shouted, struggling to control his rage. He just couldn't get his head around it at all.

She didn't give an answer; not because she couldn't think of what to say, but because she was trying so hard to stay strong and couldn't bring herself to speak.

After a moment though, she felt a bit more ready. She was finding it really hard to keep up this whole lie though, and bits of her true feelings kept getting in the way of her trying to convince them that her reasons were genuine.

"I don't want to leave you", she said, crying now, unable to control her emotions any longer, "Especially after everything you've had to deal with in the last few months, both of you. I don't want to leave you".

Irene held her hand. She hated seeing her break down like this.

"Then don't, Belle", Aden said, softer this time.

"I have to", she answered helplessly.

Aden immediately lost his temper again, "No you don't! I told you before- nobody's making you go anywhere! You don't have to! This is stupid, Belle!" he shouted, full of rage. He didn't care how loud he was. He didn't care who heard him. This was important. He loved her more than he had ever loved anyone else in his whole life. He hated himself for it, but he had to try hard to stop himself from lashing out at her. He just couldn't stand to imagine her leaving.

He was still standing over her, and didn't notice how she cowered further back into the chair, out of fear of her own boyfriend.

Geoff rushed down the stairs as he heard the argument get too heated.

"I think you'd better calm down, Aden", he said firmly.

"Don't tell me what to do, Campbell", he shouted back, "Listen to how stupid she'd being! She's not making any sense".

Belle was shaking now, and Irene had put her arms around her protectively.

"Please Aden, stop it", she said, "You're scaring her."

He tried to calm himself down and stepped away from her. He hated seeing her like this. He was too angry though, and turned around and hit the wall behind him with all his strength instead.

Silence fell on the room once again. They were all still in shock at everything that had just happened. Belle scrambled up and ran out the door. They didn't go after her. They thought she needed a bit of time by herself to clear her head.

That wasn't the real reason she left though. Yes, she was scared of Aden's reaction, but she was also scared of coming so close to revealing the truth. She knew she had to get out of the house as soon as possible, as it was getting harder and harder to hide her pain. She made it to the end of the road before she doubled over with a crippling pain in her stomach. Her head felt light and dizzy. She must have fainted for a minute or two, because she woke, curled up on the ground, sore and slightly disorientated. She frantically looked around to check no-one had seen what happened, and was filled with a momentary relief at seeing the empty road, before focusing her attention on trying to find the energy to stand up. She had to go on.

Back at the house, Aden had stormed out into the garden. He felt so frustrated. The girl he wanted to marry was breaking up with him. Leaving for good. Leaving not just him, but everyone who cared about her. He paced back and forth in the garden, swearing under his breath, occasionally taking his anger out on the wall, or kicking plants. He didn't care what he was doing. All he wanted was for Belle to stay.

Geoff made Irene a cup of coffee and they sat quietly. They were both so confused. They weren't exactly angry with her, but neither couldn't understand why she would do this, especially now. They were worrying about Belle. Was she ok? She was in quite a bad state when she left, but they knew they should give her a bit of space. Maybe that was part of the reason she wanted to leave. In a small place like Summer Bay, everything was always so intense- there was rarely any space to be alone. They were worried about Aden too, but no-one was brave enough to go near him. Geoff sighed, noticing how Irene winced everytime they heard Aden hit something. "Everything's going to be alright in a while, Irene", he said, not believing a word of it himself. She just shrugged, clearly not convinced.

Upstairs, despite Ruby's attempts to distract Annie, they had both heard everything. Ruby was doing her best to comfort her friend, but with situations like this, what could anyone really do? Nothing was any consolation for the fact that soon, they were never going to see Belle again, and nobody even understood why.


	9. Chapter 9

-

Rachel was quite relieved when she opened the door to find Belle standing there. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about her since the previous day. After the pregnancy, and being a patient herself, she was starting to think of everything medical as real life now, not as work. The break from working had put things into perspective a lot more, and although in the past she'd already dealt with several patients who she personally knew, it was different when she had time to actually think about it- time to think about the huge effect the news that doctors give has on people's lives. Normally, she didn't have enough time to think about what was going to happen to the patient and their family after they left the hospital- there was always a waiting room full of other patients to see.

On the other hand, things were dragging out in slow motion at the moment. She was struggling to comprehend the fact that there was no cure for Belle's illness. She didn't really have any hope.

Belle looked pale and tired. Rachel could see that she was trying so hard to put on a brave face, to pretend that everything was fine, when really, she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. She was a strong girl, undoubtedly, but there are some things in life that even the toughest of people can't get through alone.

She pulled Belle into a hug. Her face was too painful to watch- her eyes kept welling up and she was evidently battling with herself in an attempt to conceal her emotion. Despite being strong, there was something fragile and vulnerable about her that made it even harder for Rachel to watch her suffer. They didn't say anything. Rachel was trying to get her to relax first, and when Belle felt a little less tense, Rachel got her a glass of water and led her to a chair.

"How did Aden take the news?" Rachel asked, concerned.

"He- he freaked out", she replied, her voice weak and shaky, "He got really angry with me and just sort of.. lost it. I didn't know what to do, so I came here. I'm so sorry for disturbing you like this..".

"Belle, you don't need to apologise", Rachel assured her, "I'm glad you came. I was getting really worried about you".

She initially avoided the first part of Belle's answer because she didn't know what to say. Yes, it would have been a horrible shock for him, but that doesn't make it fair for him to get angry at her. It wasn't her fault in any way. She needs support, not guilt, not anger. It was clearly stressing her out too, which really wasn't going to help her health.

"He's probably just shocked", she said after a few seconds, "Cancer is one of those things that people just can't understand. You need to know that he's not angry with you. Aden loves you, Belle. You mean the world to him, and I'm sure of that. He's angry, but not with you. He'll calm down soon".

"I didn't tell him about the cancer", Belle confessed.

She looked up at Rachel's confused expression and immediately looked away, embarrassed.

"I- I couldn't. I don't want him to worry. I don't want him to know that I'm dying", she continued.

Although Rachel was surprised, she could completely understand where Belle was coming from as she explained the rest. Facing other people, seeing their reactions, hurting them; it was all even worse than the physical pain she would have to endure. Unfortunately, as Belle had just founf out, lying nearly always backfires.

"You need to tell them the truth", Rachel said gently, but with a sort of professional authority that Belle couldn't ignore.

Rachel watched as a mixture of emotions ran across her friend's face. Fear. Worry. Confusion. Anxiety. Sadness.

She placed her hand on Belle's, trying to do her best to comfort her."If it would make it any easier on you, I can come with you", she said, "I can help you tell them. I understand that you don't want people to know, but you do need to tell Aden, as well as Irene. And I can't tell you what to do, Belle, but I think Geoff and Annie should know too."

She nodded in acceptance. Although it was probably the last thing in the world that she wanted to do, after the way the afternoon had turned out, she knew that it was practically unavoidable.

"Thank you so much, Rachel. For everything. I know you don't need this right now", Belle said, quietly but honestly.

As if on cue, the baby started crying, and Rachel picked him up from the cot and cradled him in her arms for a moment until he was content and silent once again. Belle was watching sadly. Seeing the baby brought her a strange confusion as she struggled to understand life and death. How could something so beautiful and innocent be brought into a world so cruel? Why did life have to end so quickly? There was something overwhelming about the simplicity and purity of the child that filled her with fear of leaving this world and everyone in it behind. Her mind was bombarded with the realisation that she was never going to have children of her own. Her whole future, everything she'd ever planned or hoped for, it was readily becoming non-existant.

Rachel noticed Belle, watching the baby in a sort of trance. She hesitated for a moment, before placing her son in Belle's arms. Almost immediately, tears started rolling down Belle's cheeks. She'd been holding them in for so long, but couldn't stop it anymore. She rocked the baby gently, feeling overwhelmed and powerless, almost fascinated by the beauty of life. It scared her. The baby's skin was soft and warm. His eyes showed nothing but love and contentedness. He knew nothing of the world around him, and Belle was glad. She didn't want to stop holding him. She didn't want to think about how this was probably the last time she was ever going to hold a child.

Rachel found it heartbreaking to watch the confusion and raw fear in Belle's eyes. She couldn't bear to imagine what she was thinking, how hard this must be for her. She felt a lump in her throat and forced herself to look away before she made Belle even more upset than she already was.

"You're not going to be alone, Belle", she said, on the verge of tears, staring at the ground.

Belle nodded silently, still in a state of transfixion with the baby. She still felt alone, and couldn't really imagine that changing.


	10. Chapter 10

Rachel opened the door cautiously, and encouraged Belle, who was evidently very nervous, to go in. It was as if the room had been frozen with tension and had suddenly just errupted abruptly into life. Aden, Geoff and Irene had been sitting down, with significant spaces between them, each glaring at the ground- clearly not long after an argument that had yet to be resolved. On hearing the door creak open, Aden immediately leapt to his feet. It had been over an hour since she'd left, and he was way more than angry by now.

"Where the hell have you been?!" he shouted.

He looked past her worried, hesitant gaze and noticed Rachel. He shifted his glance uncomfortably, straightened up, and, for a second, tried to lose the hostile expression, embarrassed that she had seen his angry outburst. He had so many questions to ask Belle. Had she changed her mind? Why did she just run off like that? Did she even know what she was doing? So although he knew he probably should have made more of an effort, his frustration at Belle overpowered any desire to be polite and he didn't bother trying to seem calm anymore. What did it matter anyway?

Rachel wanted to avoid any confrontation between Aden and Belle and decided that now was the time to tell them. She looked around the room, noticed Annie was missing, and quietly asked if someone could get her to join them.

While they waited for her to come downstairs, there was total silence. Although no-one asked, they were all wondering what Rachel was doing there. Yes, they were friends, but she'd never been extremely close to anyone in the family or anything, so it seemed a bit weird that she would come. Then they started to become aware of how she was sitting so close to Belle, in a protective way. She had a solemn look in her eyes, with an otherwise blank expression. A doctor's expression. There had to be more to it than what Belle had told them earlier. That must be why Rachel had come. Several irrational thoughts crossed their minds in that brief second. Maybe someone was in trouble and Belle needed to help them? Maybe she was pregnant? Or maybe she was even relapsing? They didn't know, and they didn't really want to think of the possibilities either.

They were gathered awkwardly around the table, avoiding eye contact.

"Would you like to speak, Belle?" Rachel asked gently, almost as if she was talking to a child.

Belle just shook her head, struggling to hold onto her composure. She tried not to notice the half worried, half annoyed glances they shot towards her. She tried not to feel the hostility and tension. She tried not to think at all. She just didn't want to be there.

Despite having done this countless times before, Rachel still was battling with herself, forcing herself to summon up the strength to just tell them what they_ needed_ to hear.

"What Belle told you earlier today, about wanting to leave the bay", she started, "It isn't true".

Annie looked up hopefully, while the others just looked up in confusion.

"There's no easy way to say this", she continued slowly, making sure to use her professional voice, as she was less likely to reveal her own emotion that way, "But Belle has been diagnosed with with a rare and agressive form of cancer".

For the next moment, everything was just frozen. No immediate emotional outbursts. No angry rages. No anything. It was kind of like they had all been lifted from their normal lives and placed in another world. No-one knew how to react. For that moment, no-one _could_ react. It's one of those things that no-one ever wants to hear. In one sense, it's a bit like death- no matter how well prepared you are for a loved one's death, or how long you've been ready for it to come, it's still a shock; it's still unexpected when it actually happens. And when you're not prepared- when it comes totally out of the blue- it thuds down on you and brings your whole world crashing down relentlessly with it. Diagnosis is similar. It's never good news.

"But- but you can cure it, can't you?" Geoff stammered.

Rachel hated doing this, but they needed the truth. It wasn't fair to have them clinging on to false hope. She shook her head sadly.

"I'm really sorry, but the cancer has developed too much for any treatment to be effective".

She tried not to look as they just melted. Breaking this type of news to any family was extremely difficult, but when it was a family you knew, it was unbearable.

Although the news still hadn't fully sunk in yet, they were all overcome with guilt for how they had reacted earlier. They'd yelled at her, they'd yelled over her behind her back, they'd blamed her for everything when she was away. But all along, all along she'd been trying to deal with this. She was dying.

Belle felt like she'd just faded into the background, like she wasn't really there. She felt like she was watching it happen to someone else, a family of strangers, watching their reactions. It didn't seem real. Annie was crying in Geoff's arms. Irene was staring into space, gripping onto the chair so tightly that her knuckles were white. Rachel was answering Aden's frantic questions, trying to reassure him, but it clearly wasn't working. She could see everything that was going on, but nothing seemed to click in her mind for that moment, like she had unintentionally detached herself from the whole situation. It just didn't seem like this was really her life, her family.

Emotions were running high as reality gradually began to hit them. Everyone was sort of in their own world, struggling to understand and contemplate the severity of what was happening. Everyone was just scared, worried and confused.

Aden didn't know how to react, what to do. He just followed his heart and did the first thing that came into his mind. How could this really be happening? He went over and lifted Belle upinto his arms, carrying her outside like she was a child. He didn't care. They had to get out of that room. He didn't even realise he was crying. He rarely ever cried. He was Aden Jefferies- of course he didn't. For now though, it didn't matter. Nothing did. The only thought in his mind was that his girlfriend was going to die. The entire world just became irrelevant in the split second that he realised that. He didn't set her down. He just held onto her tightly. He was dissolving. She was still frozen. He didn't care who saw them. Nothing mattered. There was just him and her. Just Aden and Belle. Oblivious to the rest of the world. For all too short a moment, nothing else mattered.


	11. Chapter 11

_Sorry- this is only a short chapter- it's just more of a filler so the rest of the story makes a bit more sense_

-

A few days had passed in slow motion. Everyone was trying to carry on as normal. That's the hardest part though. Continuing when your world is at a standstill. In a way, they were hoping if they left it for a couple of days, without mentioning it much, it would go away. Life doesn't work like that though, does it? The longer you leave it, the bigger the problem gets. The truth was, they were all scared. There was nothing they could do to change reality.

Belle was refusing to have any proper treatment or hospitalisation whatsoever. She knew that nothing could cure her illness, and didn't want to waste the limited time that she had. She wanted to spend her last few days in the place she loved, with the people she loved, instead of being stuck in a hospital with solemn strangers, just waiting on death. Her decision meant she would be in a lot of pain, but although Rachel had tried to convince her otherwise, she was absolutely certain that she had made the right decision. She definitely wasn't a stranger to hospitalisation- her string of bad luck had started off long before this diagnosis; so she was sure that she wanted to do anything possible to avoid going back to that place.

Although it hadn't been long after diagnosis, the illness was gradually becoming more and more apparent with every new day. Weakness, dizziness, pain; it was all creeping up on her too fast. Soon enough, she would have to stop working. She would have to stay at home and rest all day. This day was what she was dreading, because then, people would know. Her normal day-to-day life would be over before she knew it. She just wanted to continue like nothing had ever happened for as long as she physically could. Only Aden, Irene, Rachel, Geoff and Annie were allowed to know what was going on.

--

The thought of leaving everyone was overwhelming. Soon, she would just be gone. Death wasn't really something she had given much though- it's not the kind of thing you tend to think about unless you really have to; and now, she really had to. She had so little time, but she wanted to do something, to leave something that would help them. After seeing how the deaths of Jack and Lou had pulled apart the lives of so many people in the bay, she really didn't want to put the people she loved through that. She wanted to give them something to remember her by- to remind them that she really loved them. Maybe then, loss wouldn't seem so severing, so immediate.

She wracked her mind for hours and hours, pacing up and down the beach, trying to figure out what she could do. It isn't easy to find something when you don't have any idea what you're looking for. She considered getting them gifts, or sending them on a holiday somewhere after she died. Nothing seemed right though. She just wanted to do something simple and honest. After a lot more pacing and confusion, she finally decided on getting her old camera out again. She would take two photographs for each person. One, something to remember her by. The other, something that she would like them to do in the future. They would get a letter each too.

She would try to give them to them in person, closer to her death. Sort of as a goodbye. Just one last memory.

--


	12. Geoff

About a week had passed since she'd told them what was really going on. Although there hadn't yet been any hugely obvious changes to her health, it was clear she was getting weaker and weaker. Time was just ticking by and she knew she was in over her head. The wedding was coming up soon, and although Irene and Aden were determined to organise as much of it as possible by themselves to save Belle the stress, she was still understandably panicking about everything. She knew she had to get things done before it was too late, and was doing her best to fit in everything she needed to do. Everyone who knew about the cancer was fussing over her, constantly worrying if she was alright, but as much as they tried to hide it, she could plainly see that they too were crumbling, particularly Aden. She had no doubt in her mind that watching them suffer because of her was much worse than any of the physical pain she was in.

She forced herself to focus on writing the letters and taking the photographs she had planned earlier. Since the idea had came into her head, she just kept pushing it to the back of her mind. Although it was something she really wanted to do, it was hard, knowing that it was really her last proper goodbye with each of those people- the last trace of her presence that they would have. At 20 years old, that's never something you want to have to do. She couldn't put it off any longer though, and seeing how tough everyone was finding it to cope with her illness gave her the reality check she needed to push ahead and just get things done.

She'd intended to give the letters out as late as possible; they were more for the future than for the present; but the reality was that her death could come at any time. Cancer isn't exactly merciful, and she really didn't want to leave it until it's too late- to pass away without having given everyone their goodbye. There were so many people that she wanted to write letters to- Amanda, Rachel, Cassie, Mattie, Nicole- but she decided that if she was going to do this, she was going to do it properly. Time really was running out so she would just give letters to those who really needed them; Aden, because she loved him; Irene, because she was practically her mother and had done so much for her; Annie, because she had become a little sister to Belle and she really grew to care about her; and Geoff, because he'd been there for her and she knew he would be there for everyone else.

She'd decided Geoff should be first- she really needed him to help the others get through this. She scanned over the letter one last time, put it in an envelope with the photographs, and hesitantly sealed it before heading to the beach where she'd asked him to meet her.

She had only been waiting for a minute or two when he arrived. He quickly jogged over to her, worried and concerned about why she'd asked him to come.

"There you are, Belle! Has something happened?" he asked, slightly out of breath.

She just shook her head and gave a small smile.

"I just need to speak to you", she replied.

He nodded understandingly as they both sat down. Everything was quiet for a brief moment as she contemplated what to say.

She spoke quite quickly, staring at the sand. She was a bit nervous- it was quite a daunting thing to have to do.

"Geoff, this is all happening so fast. I just wanted to make sure that I didn't leave you all without a goodbye. I've been writing letters- one for each of you, and I want to give you yours today. There's photos too- one of them is to remind you of me, and the other is something I'd like you to do in the future. I know I probably seem totally crazy, with this.. weird plan, but it's just that I've seen how much everyone suffered because of Jack's death- his family and friends were left with so many unanswered questions and I want to make sure that that doesn't happen when I die. Does this.. make any sense?" she asked, starting to laugh at herself. Although she was very aware that she was quickly dying, it still seemed like a very odd situation to be in and she couldn't help but wonder if she was doing things the right way at all.

"Of course it does, Belle", he answered gently. He was a bit shocked really; a letter seemed so official or something. As much as he'd hoped her death somehow wouldn't happen, he had to come to terms with the fact that it was pretty much inevitable at this point. A wave of sadness washed over him as reality hit him again, but he tried not to show it.

"Right", she smiled, "Because I was beginning to think I'd completely lost it".

She passed the envelope over to him, and he received it cautiously. He stared at it for a minute or so before opening it, trying to get his thoughts together first.

"One more thing, Geoff", she said, "Is it ok if you don't tell anyone about this? I'm kind of hoping to keep it a secret until Annie, Irene and Aden have got theirs too. I don't know when that will be- as long as it takes for the time to feel right, I suppose".

He nodded in acceptance, and slowly unsealed the envelope. He pulled out the letter, and was surprised by how uncharacteristically shaky his hands were as he began to read.

_Geoff,_

_If you had told me when you first arrived that I would one day write you this letter, I'd have thought you'd totally lost your mind. Do you remember how we used to argue all the time when you first moved into Irene's? I never would have imagined that__ things would eventually end up like this. Although I might not say very much to you, I wanted to tell you that I'm so glad I got to know you properly. You're strong and responsible and caring, and I just want to ask you not to change. I've never told you, but I've always admired how respectful and decent you are. You were so young when you left the farm, but already you were so genuine and mature. I watched you take care of so many people; Annie, Melody, Nicole, Claudia; and I don't think you realise how strong you are. Not every teenage boy is so selfless and responsible. I know this whole letter seems very cheesy, but this is important._

_I'm aware that I'm asking quite a lot from you, but I know you are strong enough. I really, really would be so grateful if you could take care of everyone when I'm gone. It's just, I've seen how low Irene fell after Lou's death, and I'm scared that another death will send her over the edge if she tries to deal with it alone again. Death seems to just ruin everything and I hate to have to put you all through that. Please stay strong for Irene. She's done so much for all of us, and it's horrible to think she's going to have to suffer again. It's really important that you try and help her to keep going. I know all too well how easy it is to feel like just giving up when everything seems to be thrown at you at once._

_Of course, I don't even have to ask you to look after Annie. You're already a great big brother, Geoff, and I hope you realise that. She looks up to you more than you will ever know. She looks up to me too, but I let her down. I let you down too, with the addiction, and I'm so, so sorry. I know you said you've forgiven me, but I can't apologise enough for that. It wasn't fair on you or Annie. I've let Annie down, but you never have. I just hope you can see how good you are with her, and how much she needs you._

_This third and final favour is probably the most important, and probably will be the most difficult to do, but I trust you, Geoff, and that's why I'm asking you to please look out for Aden. You're the only person I can think of who will be able to help him, now that Roman's not around. To say he means the world to me is an understatement. I've never even came close to loving anyone as much as I love him, and to be honest, I'm terrified of leaving him. I've seen him get depressed, I've seen him be lonely, I've seen him struggle; and it's horrible. Geoff, you're probably more loyal than anyone I've ever met, and I need you to stick by him. I'm just scared that leaving him will send him back to how he was before. I can't predict the future- maybe he will be ok, but if he's not; if he doesn't deal with my death well, and becomes aggressive again, he really needs a friend to help him get back on track with things. This is mainly why I'm writing this letter. I can honestly say that he means everything to me and I'm just really, really worried about how he will react. It just feels wrong- we're meant to be getting married in just over a week; and now, by dying, I have to take the future that he really wanted away from him. I just don't want him going back to the way he used to be. Please, please look out for him; try and get him to stay on the football team and to keep carrying on with his life, even if it's hard; it's what he needs to do. And please don't ever let him forget how much I loved him._

_Before I finish this letter, I just want to say thankyou, Geoff. You've been so great and I don't want to leave you- any of you. I'm sorry that everything has ended up like this. You and Annie have dealt with so many deaths in your lives and it's not really fair that you have to cope with another one. That just seems to be the way life goes, though. Thankyou for everything; especially for being so forgiving about the drugs- I know that wasn't easy for you, and I really appreciate how good you were about that. You have no idea how much that helped- knowing you and Annie were there for me. I've only known you for a short time, and it feels so wrong to be writing this, but I wanted to give you a proper goodbye. I wish you the best of luck for the future. You've helped so many people, but you really deserve to be happy too- I know things didn't work out with Claudia, but don't be afraid to find someone else. I don't want you all to be sad for long after I die. You need to focus on the future too. I hope you believe me when I tell you, Geoff, that whatever girl you choose to be with, will be very, very lucky to have someone like you._

_Please stay strong for the others. It's been really lovely to get to know you and I hate that this goodbye has had to come so soon. Thanks again for everything,_

_Lots of love,_

_Belle xx_

_PS- Don't hate me for suggesting this, but I definitely think that the certain lucky girl in your future that I mentioned earlier may just be closer than you think..and with blonde hair..and a name beginning with N..and just might be an ex of yours. Don't be afraid to give it a go. You'd be so good together. :) Whatever you choose though, as long as you're happy- it will be the right decision, and I mean that. x_

Belle felt herself choke up as she patiently watched a whole range of emotions wash over Geoff as he read. At some points, sadness and confusion leaked into his eyes like spilt paint contaminating an untouched colour- such simple emotions, yet they seemed so wrong and out of character for the cheery, positive Geoff she was used to. Occassionally, she'd see a flicker of hope in his expression, then more sadness. She watched as he gave a little smile at her reference to Nicole, then his eyes became all worried again as he thought about the whole letter. She was surprised at how young he looked- she was starting to see a raw innocence that normally was practically unnoticable with his mature and responsible personality.

She silently placed her hand in his, and they sat thinking for a moment, relieved at the all-too-rare peace.

He pulled out the first photograph and stared at it. It was a picture of the church he attended. He didn't understand it. She'd said the first picture would be something to remember her by- but she didn't go to church.

She smiled at his confusion.

"I chose this, because I know you doubt yourself a lot, Geoff. You don't..realise how good a person you are.."

He looked up at her, still as confused as ever.

"Remember the time I took that picture of Reverend Hall? It made a bad situation worse. It made so many people hate your church. I shouldn't have done that. You were already dealing with enough at that time-you didn't need to sort out all the trouble at the church too, especially when you were getting teased so much for it- but you did it anyway. You did it because you knew it was the right thing to do. You forgave me too. I probably didn't deserve that- what I did was wrong, no matter what my reasons were.. but you just seemed to forget about it. And that wasn't the only time you forgave me. You always forgave me, Geoff. Always. It takes so much guts to do that, so much faith and strength. You don't give yourself any credit though. Most guys would run a mile at the thought of having to forgive someone... Everytime you look at this photo, I want it to remind you of how far you've come, and how strong you really are. You've been such a good friend to me, and I want you to realise that I've never forgotten how understanding you've been. I want this picture to help you when you're finding things tough- because you can get through it- whatever it is- you're strong enough, you're good enough, and I _know_ that because you've shown me so many times."

Belle noticed the vulnerability in his eyes again as he listened. He had a lump in his throat as he thought about what she was saying. He hadn't felt that way in so long, it sort of surprised him. He couldn't really bring himself to speak yet, and instead, pulled the other photo out of the envelope.

The picture had been taken on the far end of the beach. It showed a rugged cliff, with a steep drop down to the rougher waters. She'd captured the silhoette of a random hiker, making the dangerous leap required to cross the narrow gap between that cliff and a rocky hill- the nearest piece of solid ground.

He stared at it for a few seconds, trying to figure out what it all meant.

She laughed at the sheer bewilderment in his expression.

"I don't want you to jump off the cliff, Geoff", she smiled. "I took this one because I know how hard you try to do what's right, to please everyone else. This picture is there to tell you not to be afraid of doing something you want to do, just because the other's might not agree with you. It's ok to take a risk every once in a while. Of course, doing the right thing always seems to work out in the end, and it's good that you're so sensible, but I've come to realise that life is so short. If there's something you want to do, don't be afraid to just go ahead and do it. You never know what day is going to be your last, so I want this to remind you to take chances. You never know how late is going to be too late, so just.. live for the moment. Don't be afraid".

He was surprised that he had to fight back tears as he pulled her into a hug. He very, very rarely got to that level. He knew she was right- he shouldn't be afraid. He had to trust her. He had to trust God's plan for her, and he had to be strong for everyone else, but somehow, none of that seemed to make him any less scared at the thought of her having to leave.

"We're all going to miss you so much, Belle", he whispered.

Even if she had tried to reply, she wouldn't exactly have been able too- she was squashed beneath the strong grasp of his arms, but considering the fact that this may be the last time the two friends would be alone together, she really didn't mind.


	13. Chapter 13

-

A few days before the wedding was due to take place, Belle's condition noticeably worsened. She had been fine until then- weak, with the occasional dizzy spell- but fine otherwise. This day, however, she didn't even have the energy to get out of bed. She woke up early, exhausted but unable to sleep. She was aware that Aden was talking to her, but she was too tired to even make out what he was saying. She felt like her mind was disconnected. Every part of her just felt heavy, making her even more tired. Her vision was blurry, and although she knew that her stomach hurt, she wasn't really too aware of the pain. Overwhelming weakness just overpowered every other feeling.

Aden's heart sank as he watched her. He felt really helpless; his fiancée was suffering and he had no idea how to help her. She seemed to be awake, but kept drifting off for a few seconds at a time. He kept asking her if she was alright, but she didn't seem to hear. Every few minutes, she would let out a weak, yet painful moan, without even realising it. It broke his heart to hear her mumble, "It hurts". There was nothing he could do. He just wanted to pick her up and hold her, but he was scared that doing that might hurt her even more. Instead, he gently placed his hand on her clammy forehead and tried his best to calm her down. He quickly dialled Rachel's number. For a second, he thought it would be unfair to bother her, to ask her to come over at 6 in the morning, but when Belle had only a few weeks left, he wanted to do everything possible to reduce her pain.

Rachel arrived as quick as she could. She was worried, but tried to appear calm to avoid stressing Aden out. After examining Belle for a moment or two, she assured Aden that it was normal for her to get like that, considering the cancer was in the very latest stage of advancement. When she was refusing to take any medication, apart from a few pills, it was only to be expected that she would feel very weak. While they waited for her to come round, Rachel explained her illness in more detail to Aden. Although her cancer was unbearably cruel, and it was inevitably going to snatch her life away from her, it was important for him to be aware of the facts in order to help her cope as she faced death. Rachel told him that every day from now on, at times, she would feel normal, but at other times, she would be completely overpowered by tiredness and pain. There was very little anyone could do to help, except to just be there for her. Rachel then explained to Aden how, although it would be very tough on him, it was of vital importance that he didn't expect too much from Belle. Although there was probably so much he wanted to say to her, and so much that they wanted to do together, it would be in her best interest to just try and take things very slowly, and to spend time just being with her instead. Things needed to be as relaxed and calm as possible to give any chance of reducing her pain.

Aden hated the fact that their future together was just melting away to nothing. He'd imagined that they'd grow old together, have children, do everything they'd planned to. After everything they'd came through together, it was only over the last month or two that that goal had finally seemed possible. For once, he'd believed in it. Everything had been turned upside down in the days since that dream had been torn to pieces. Belle had always been so strong, fiesty and strongwilled. Whatever life threw at her, she always managed to clamber back onto her feet and move forward. She could never get away from this. He couldn't bear to watch his strong and beautiful girlfriend just fade away, to watch her weaken until she slipped away from them for good. He had to accept the truth though. She really was dying. He knew that Rachel was right. It wasn't fair to expect too much from her when she was in this condition. Instead of trying to get things done, to experience new things, it was more important that he spent all of his time over the next few weeks showing her how much he loved her, and how much he would always love her.

After about half an hour, Belle gradually came round and woke up properly. She was confused to find Aden kneeling by her side, holding her hand, as Rachel stood by her bed.

"Belle, it's alright", Rachel assured her gently, "You were in a lot of pain for a while there. Aden just asked me to check up on you- he was worried. How are you feeling now?"

Belle immediately tried to apologise.

"S-sorry for worrying you. I'm ok- honestly..", she said quietly.

Rachel sat down beside her and assured her that it was no trouble, and that they wanted to be there for her, then slipped downstairs for a while to give her some time alone with Aden.

-

Later, she went back upstairs. Belle and Aden were both very emotional at the time, and although Rachel felt bad for disturbing them when these moments were so precious, she had to, seeing how much all the emotion and worry was taking it's toll on Belle. It was only natural for the couple to feel so upset and scared, but Belle needed to relax- it was all getting too much for her to cope with.

She was angry with herself. She felt guilty for not having the energy to get up. She felt like she was wasting her very limited time, and just felt weak and helpless for not being able to get anything done that day.

Although Belle hadn't said this yet, Rachel had had enough experience with patients in a similar position to recognise how she was feeling.

"Belle, it's important that you rest", she said, "No-one expects you to be up and about all the time. This is really hard on you, and you're so young. You need time to just relax. I think it's best if you take things easy today".

Belle still looked worried, but Aden nodded in approval at Rachel's suggestion.

"Besides- you've got a wedding coming up!" Rachel added, smiling.

"I've spoken to Tony", she continued, "and he's happy to take care of the baby. How about I bring Irene and Annie over and we could talk about the wedding today? I know Irene has it all under control, but I'm sure you've still go a few questions, or a few loose ends needing tied up, yeah? I think you could do with a girly day. It might help take your mind off things".

"But what about work?" Belle asked. "I can't just leave Leah and Colleen by themselves!"

"You're not well", Rachel said sincerely, "To be honest, Belle, I've been thinking about this. I don't think you're well enough to go to work anymore. It could take too much out of you."

Belle started to panic. Although she knew Rachel was right, it really wasn't a step she felt ready to take.

"But how am I meant to explain?" she said, "I can't just walk in and quit for no reason! I can't really face telling them the truth either!"

Rachel and Aden could both see she was getting worked up and tried to console her.

"Hey, it's okay", Rachel said gently, "I think you're right. I don't want you to get stressed out any more than you are already, and facing everyone will upset you. They care about you though. They probably should know the truth. If you want, I could tell anyone who you think should know".

Belle smiled weakly in appreciation. "Thankyou Rachel. You've been so good about everything. I couldn't do this without all your help."

"It's no trouble", she replied honestly, "but anyway, we've got a wedding to plan!"

-

Irene, Rachel and Annie were all grateful to get to spend a few hours with Belle. They tried to keep the mood light, as the previous days had all been filled with heavy emotions and widespread sadness. The afternoon of wedding planning had lifted their spirits a little. The wedding was extremely important. Not only would it be the last major event in her life, but it was the one thing she had to look forward to, through such a hard time, and a practically non-existant future. They wanted to do everything they could to make it really special for her and Aden.

By late afternoon, she was exhausted, even though she'd stayed in bed all day. She was struggling to stay awake, and was thankful that her friends were so understanding as they contentedly left to allow her to sleep. Although it was hard to deal with, watching her deteriorate so quickly, they accepted the fact that she wouldn't be able to stay awake for more than a few hours at a time most days. They just had to make the most of the time that they did still have together, as time was something that was rapidly running out.


	14. Annie

---

Belle was finding it all quite surreal- the constant flick between present and future- between planning the wedding, and planning her letters. The wedding was only two days away. Although everyone was concerned for her, worrying that she wasn't well enough to get married, she was absolutely certain that it was something she needed to do. Ever since she was a child, in her mind, there had always been a list of things that she promised herself she would do before she died. Things like travelling to another continent, seeing a white Christmas, getting married, having children, finding her dad. None of them were too unrealistic- they were the things most people wished for, and definitely were achievable goals. However, she'd never contemplated that her death would come so early. Like most people, although she'd never given it much thought, she'd always kind of hoped that she would just grow old and pass away gently at home, happy and content, after living a long and fulfilled life with the people she loved. It's a simple wish, but unfortunately one that seldom comes true. No-one hopes to die at just twenty years old, of a cruel and aggressive disease. The truth that there simply wasn't enough time to fulfill her wishes was just another part of the seemingly infinite list of things she just had to accept. Getting married was the only exception. This cancer was going to take her life away; it was going to take her away from all her family and friends, it was going to leave a wake of devestation behind it; but it wasn't going to stop her from marrying she man she loved.

The whole of Summer Bay had teamed together after finding out that the wedding was so soon, even though the majority were still in the dark about the reason behind the sudden marriage. Everyone wanted to do their bit to make the big day special for Aden and Belle. The girls in particular were rallying around, excitedly getting everything ready, as they would with any wedding.

The one's who knew about the cancer had practically thrown themselves into organisation, trying to get everything to run smoothly. The realisation of how little time Belle had left had spun them into overdrive- partly because they wanted to do everything possible to make sure Aden and Belle got that little bit of happiness they really deserved, and partly to distract themselves from their own feelings of sadness and fear about losing a friend. Irene was busy trying to make sure everyone had got their invitations. Leah was taking care of both the catering and any last minute preparations, and Nicole was sorting out the outfits. Rachel was understandably at home to look after her son, who was only a few weeks old, but she came over to check how Belle was doing at least once a day. Ruby and Annie spent every spare minute they had outside of school organising the decorations. Ruby had been particularly enthusiastic about helping- mainly to try and give Annie something to focus on besides her friend's upcoming death. Belle really appreciated how much effort the youngest two were putting into it- she was relieved that there was someone there who knew how to take care of Annie, as it was clear from the start that she wouldn't cope with the death too well. Ruby understood what Annie was going through, from dealing with both her mum's death and her dad's Alzheimer's. She knew what it felt like to watch someone you care about just fade away, and was desperate to help her best friend, as she knew how much Annie admired Belle.

Tony and Amanda also knew the truth, but everyone else was still oblivious, and assumed that the couple were just being young and had made a spur-of-the-moment decision to get married because they simply didn't want to wait long enough to change their minds. Belle and Aden had both decided that they would just let them think that for the time being. Although the people closest to them really had a right to know what was going on, they decided it would be better not to tell everyone else about Belle's illness. They didn't want pity, and they didn't want the entire wedding to be more like a funeral- just marred by depression and gloom.

They seemed to be surrounded by chaos, and as Belle's energy levels plummetted further each day, she often had to just go upstairs to rest for a few hours when she was in the middle of doing something. However, as everyone assumed she was asleep, she forced herself to stay awake so she could write the rest of her letters. Although Aden and Irene's letters were probably the most important, she was really worrying about Annie's, and it meant a lot to her to do it right.

So far, she didn't seem to be coping very well. For the first couple of days, she didn't really react at all. It was almost like she had convinced herself that it wasn't actually happening. Belle understood this- she'd acted that way herself in the past when she got a shock. She'd found it really difficult to come to terms with finding out Amanda was her mum, and had reacted in a similar way to how Annie was now. After those first few days, with Ruby's help, she'd become herself again, and it was clear that no matter how hard she tried to appear strong, Annie was terrified. It certainly wasn't easy, finding out that someone you'd lived with for over a year, someone you'd grown to trust and love, was dying.

Belle was mainly worried that she'd lose her faith again. Although Belle wasn't a Christian herself, she hated to think of Annie losing all belief in something she had put so much trust and effort into throughout her whole life. Belle might not have agreed with Annie's views, but she was certain that they were something Annie truly believed in really strongly; and when someone believes in something that much, it isn't right to let them just give up on their whole morals, their whole upbringing, when something bad happens.

She'd put a lot of thought into what she would say to Annie. She was still so innocent and naiive, but it wasn't right to talk to her like a child either. It wasn't too long ago that Belle herself was Annie's age. She'd just arrived in the bay- clueless and alone, with an irrational plan to find her mother. She made a lot of reckless mistakes- things she regretted, things she didn't even mean to do. She was just a scared and confused teenager, trying to find some answers. Though in the end, things slowly fell into place, for a while at least. She just wanted Annie to know that things wouldn't be this way forever. She'd had an unfortunate string of bad luck over the years- her parents dying, her grandfather dying, Reverend Hall dying, and now Belle. Belle just wanted to show her that things would get better soon- she just needed to hang in there and be patient. Giving up never makes anything better.

-

Belle slipped into Annie's room later that evening before she went back home, and found her busily trying to finish off some homework.

"Hi", she said quickly, without looking up. She found it hard to speak to Belle with everything that was going on. Everytime they did speak to each other, things just seemed so normal, then she kept having to remind herself that Belle was dying. In a way, it was easier to ignore it, or at least to pretend she could ignore it. She tried to appear calm, but instead was unintentionally forcing all her energy into gripping her pencil so tightly that it was about to snap. She didn't show she was upset because it would worry Belle.

Belle sort of understood and took a step closer.

"Annie", she said patiently, "There's something I need to talk to you about".

Annie acknowledged the sincerity in her voice and found it impossible to continue pretending that she could block everything out. She immediately stopped writing, put down her pencil and turned around to face Belle.

She listened carefully as Belle explained about the letter and the photographs, and shakily unsealed the envelope she was handed.

She was confused at how Belle had managed to find the time to do all this without any of them realising, but didn't dwell on it and instead averted her attention towards the page of neat, yet scribbly handwriting in front of her.

She started off reading aloud, but her voice just faded down to silence as she became more absorbed in understanding what she was reading.

_"Annie,_

_I wanted to give you this to remind you when I'm gone that you meant a lot to me. I just don't want you to ever doubt that. Since I've moved out, so much has changed, and I know I've been a bit distant with everyone, but that's only because it's hard, releasing just how much I really love you all. It's almost impossible to realise exactly what you've got, until you find out that you won't have it for much longer, if that even makes any sense._

_Over the past year or so, you, Geoff and Irene have been more of a family to me than anyone has throughout my whole life. I honestly don't think I'd have come this far without that support. Knowing that you all really cared was basically the only thing that pushed me enough to get through all those endless days and sleepless nights of rehab. I've never forgotten how forgiving you were about the addiction. I really am sorry for putting you through that, especially when Irene was away. It wasn't fair, and it took real strength for you to be so good about that. I know it was particularly hard for you and Geoff, with your religion and everything, and I really admire that._

_That brings me to the most important part. Your religion. Annie, I've known you long enough to notice that you doubt your faith a lot when things go wrong. I'm not trying to tell you that you should or shouldn't believe in God; that's entirely up to you. Personally, I don't have a religion, and you know that, but that doesn't mean I don't respect your beliefs. It's clear that your religion is a huge part of your life and of who you are, and I just think that it's important to stand firm in your beliefs. I don't want you to give up on something that you care so much about, because of something, like this tumour, that no-one can explain. I've seen how much your faith has been tested in the past and even though I didn't really know you that well at the time, it was still horrible to see you struggle like that. You've become almost like a little sister to me over the past few months, and part of me just wants to protect you. I wish I could be around to look out for you for longer, but unfortunately that's not possible. I just really, really hope that you don't have to go through that stage of doubting yourself and doubting everything you've believed in again. I've only just begun to realise the importance of acceptance. Of course, when something goes wrong, it's important to do everything possible to make it right, but sometimes, certain things just can't be changed, or can't be explained, no matter how hard we try, and it's better to accept things the way they are, than to dwell on them. I think this cancer is one of those things that just has to be accepted. It makes no sense at all, and God, I've certainly spent my fair share of hours trying to get my head around it since the diagnosis, but I've realised that life's too short to try and work out things that are beyond us. Trying to deal with things is more important. I know it's going to be hard, but try to accept that there's nothing anyone could have done to stop my death. It's no-one's fault, not even God's, and I don't even believe in Him, so that probably made no sense. I suppose what I'm trying to say, is that life is full of twists and turns and you just have to get around them. I don't mean that you should follow something you no longer believe in either. If you ever do decide to stop following your religion, I think it should be after you've thought about it very carefully for a few months, instead of making such a big decision shortly after something really bad has happened. __I know it probably seems like I'm giving you a lecture right now, but I just don't want you to get hurt, and I think that losing your faith would do that to you. You've come very close to losing your faith several times already, and I know you're strong enough to overcome that one more time._

_I don't think you realise how strong you really are. You've become a lot more mature recently and it's great to see. You already have such firm morals, and you're not afraid to stand up for what you think is right. I definitely admire that. It's great that you always seem to stay true to who you are and the way you've been brought up, and I like how you refuse to be pressured into things you don't agree with. Not many people your age are like that. When I was sixteen, I was definitely stubborn too, but I was still trying to find who I was. I was pretty much alone when I first came to Summer Bay, and if it wasn't for Irene, who knows where I'd have ended up. Everything was such a mess then, and those first few months were definitely a struggle, but after a while, I settled in and things started to fall into place. Although what's happening now is like a nightmare, so many good things have happened since I came to the bay. Finding Aden mainly, and finding such good friends. I've had so many good times here. The people are great, and it's definitely become my home. Home, and the place I grew up, just don't equate anymore, since I've moved here. Like you, I was confused and scared at that age, and I just want you to know that it doesn't last forever. You've had a bit of a rough time over the last year or two, with so many people you loved having to leave you, and I know the next few months will probably be difficult to, but things will get better, and I truly believe that. It's hard to get through these things on your own, so don't be afraid to ask for help. Ruby, Jai, Geoff and Irene will all be there for you when you need them._

_Thankyou for all the good memories we had together. I really enjoyed living with you and Geoff. You're both such lovely people, and I don't think I've ever met such responsible and caring teenagers in all my life. You're both amazing, and I'm so glad I got the chance to get to know you. I really hate to have to leave you. You've become so important to me recently, and I want you to know that. Please take care of each other, and of Irene. You're a really special girl and I know that you've got a great future ahead of you. Never give up._

_Lots of love,_

_Belle xx_

Belle gently placed her hand on Annie's shoulder as she finished the letter, and watched as she pulled the photographs out of the envelope.

The first one made her laugh, which served as a welcome relief from the emotional goodbye in the letter. This one was simply a picture of a chocolate egg- a reference to the time when Belle had tried to get her and Geoff to celebrate Easter early by eating chocolate, despite it being 'against the rules' during Lent.

"I chose this one to remind you of me", Belle explained, "Because I've always remembered that night, and I want it to show you that you should always make time for fun. You try so hard to do what's right, and that's great, but it's ok to break the rules every once in a while".

She smiled gently, as Annie pulled out the second photograph, which was a bit more serious.

The photograph just showed a trail of footprints in the sand.

Annie looked up, confused.

"Turn it around", Belle encouraged.

On the back of the photo, she had copied out the famous poem by Mary Stevenson.

_"One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky._

_In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only._

_This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,_

_"You promised me Lord,  
that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?"_

_The Lord replied, "The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you."_

After a minute or two, Belle could see that Annie was crying, and put her arms around her. It didn't exactly take much for Annie to get emotional, but Belle still hated seeing her get upset. She knew that apart from Aden and maybe Irene, Annie was likely to take her death the hardest.

She hadn't been sure whether or not to choose this particular photograph, as she wasn't a Christian herself, but for some reason, when the idea came into her mind, it just seemed right.

"I read this a while ago, and thought of you, Annie", she explained, "I thought it might help you, because I know how much you doubt your faith, and I just don't want you to be scared".

They didn't speak for a moment or two, both trying to gather their thoughts. Annie didn't really know what she was meant to say. She kept feeling so overwhelmed. It really scared her that Belle was actually dying. She'd been trying to block it out until now, but she realised that she couldn't do that anymore. It was happening too fast, and although goodbyes were never easy, she'd never before been so _afraid_ to say goodbye.

"I don't want you to leave, Belle", she mumbled helplessly.

Belle bit her lip, trying to stay strong for the younger girl, and gently replied, "I know". She silently played with Annie's hair for a while, partly to calm Annie down, but partly because she really, really didn't want to leave her either.


	15. Irene

**Sorry for writing this story so slowly!**

"Sweetheart, have you definitely got everything you need for the wedding?" Irene checked, as she slid another pin into Belle's hair.

She nodded in response. The wedding was only an hour or two away, and she was jittery and nervous. This was it. She was actually getting married. She was starting to feel sick and dizzy, but put it down to nerves. She'd been waiting for this day practically her whole life, and now it was really here.

Irene smiled proudly as Belle stood up, finally ready. She looked beautiful. She loved Belle as much as she loved her own children, and it made her so happy to see her finally getting to marry the man she loved. They were meant for each other, and that was clear to everyone. With everything that was going on, it was so important for the couple to get to achieve this one dream.

Irene immediately noticed the worry in Belle's eyes and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Are you sure you're up for this, Belle?" she asked softly, "It's not too late to change your mind".

"No, no, it's not that", she answered quickly.

"Then what is it, love?" Irene asked.

She hesitantly lifted an envelope from her desk and handed it to Irene.

"I wanted to give you this after the wedding, but it's just hard, not knowing if I'll even get the chance if I wait to long, so it's better if you have it now", she said slowly.

"It's a letter", she explained, "I wrote one for you, Aden, Geoff and Annie, sort of as a goodbye, incase I die before getting the chance to say a proper goodbye in person." The harshness of the situation made it painful for her to speak, but she knew she had to. "I've taken some pictures too. You always encouraged me not to give up photography, so I wanted to take this one last opportunity to give it another go. One picture is something for you to remember me by, and the other is something I'd like you to do in the future".

"How did you get the time to do all this, love?", she asked quietly after a moment or two, feeling saddened as she realised that this was Belle's way of saying goodbye. It didn't seem right, that a young girl of her age, would have to do something like that.

She shrugged silently in response and gave Irene a small smile, encouraging her to read the letter.

_Dear Irene,_

_I don't know how to start this, so I guess I'll just begin by saying I honestly can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me over the past four years. You're amazing._

_When I first came to the bay, I was just a stranger, trying to break into your car, and where most people would have tried to get me arrested, you took me into your own home and pretty much became my mother. I didn't know anyone at first. I had no friends here, no family that I was aware of, no money. I didn't know what I was doing- I was barely more than a kid. None of that mattered to you though. You gave me a home and helped me get my life sorted out. I was a mess that first year. I kept getting into trouble, doing things I knew I shouldn't have, not thinking about the consequences before I did anything. I messed up time and time again, but you were always there for me to help make things right again. Always. You were always patient, and cared about me more than anyone else had ever done._

_The thing is though, you never asked for anything in return. You didn't know me, you weren't related to me or anything- you had every right to kick me out whenever I caused trouble. But you didn't. You didn't, because you're amazing. I know you don't even believe that you're a good person, but it's true. I've never met anyone like you. You looked after me out of the good of your heart and it's impossible to describe how much I appreciate that. All those nights when I was scared and confused, or lost and alone, even though you already had such a busy life, you were never too busy help me. You always seemed to know exactly what to do, and exactly what to say. It's incredible._

_I don't want to go, Irene. I don't want to leave you. I don't want to leave Aden. I just want to enjoy a proper married life with the man I love, to have children, and to stay here in the bay with all the people who have become my family. And I can't believe I honestly let myself think that that was possible. Things never seem to go the way they're meant to. I really, really hate this tumour. I hate what it's doing to me. Most of all, I hate what it's doing to everyone I love. To you, to Aden, to Amanda, to the kids. It doesn't seem fair, and it's really hard to accept that this is the way things have to be. I'm scared, but I can't change any of this. I wish I could, but I can't. I don't understand why all this is happening. I don't understand any of it, and never will, but I do know that somehow, somewhere, there must be a reason for it. I've never really believed in the whole 'everything happens for a reason' thing, but at the moment, it makes no sense that something this cruel, this unfair, would happen simply by accident, with no explanation. I really hope that some day, this will all make sense._

_Until then, Irene, I want you to start believing in yourself. When Lou died, you doubted yourself so much, blaming yourself for things that really weren't your fault. Yes, of course you've made mistakes, but so has everyone. I know you blame yourself so much for things that happened a long, long time ago, and I just wish that you could start to see yourself as the incredible, strong woman that everyone else sees. They don't see you as the woman that made mistakes in the past. They see you as the amazing person that you are today. The person who's there for everyone in the bay. The person who has given a home and a mother to Geoff, Annie and me. The person who has taken whatever life has thrown at her and came back all the better for it. You don't realise the courage it took to get through Lou's death the way you did. You fell so low, which was more than understandable, but you didn't let it drag you down forever. You got right back up and managed to turn your whole life around since then. You're so strong Irene, and I really want you to believe that._

_I know you're upset and confused right now, but trust me, it will all work out. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it must have been for you to get through Lou's death, but nonetheless, you did it, and I have every faith in you that you can do it again. If anyone deserves to be happy, it's you. You've been through so much, and you've had to deal with so much trouble, so much heartache. I really, really hope that you will soon get the happiness that you deserve. You need to realise that so many people care about you, and they're all going to be there for you. Aden thinks the world of you. Geoff and Annie love you to pieces. Alf, Colleen, Leah, and pretty much everyone else love you too. You've taken care of everyone, and I don't want you to be lonely anymore. You don't deserve that. If you're finding things tough, please talk to them, because I know they'll do everything they can to help._

_Thankyou so much for everything. I have so many great memories with you, they'd be impossible to count. You always knew how to cheer me up, how to make me smile. You've been the perfect mother, and I want you to know that I do see you as my mother. It doesn't matter that we're not related. You've been an incredible friend as well. I honestly don't know where I'd have ended up if you hadn't been there for me to turn to. I can't even begin to describe how much it hurts to have to say goodbye to you. I really, really don't want to ever leave. I love you so much Irene,_

_Lots of love,_

_Belle xx_

Irene smiled appreciately, but couldn't hide the sadness in her eyes at having to accept that the young girl she'd grown to care for and love was passing away.

She lifted out the first picture. It was an old photo that Alf had taken around a year ago, of Irene, Belle, Geoff and Annie joking about on the beach, full of smiles, without a care in the world.

Irene smiled to herself at the memory of that day.

"I've always loved this photo", Belle said. "I was looking at it a couple of days ago, and wanted to give it to you. When you're doubting yourself, or finding things hard, or anything like that, I want this to remind you of how great you are. I was alone. Geoff and Annie were alone. Now, thanks to you, we're a proper family, and it takes an amazing person to make that happen".

"Girlie, you've been a joy to take care of", Irene answered honestly.

She took out the second picture.

Belle had spent a long time deliberating over what to choose for this photo. She'd had this idea for a while, but was unsure of whether or not to use it, afraid of Irene taking it the wrong way. In the end though, she couldn't think of anything else and settled for taking a photo of a heart traced in the sand.

"Now I know that no-one could ever replace Lou.." she said slowly and sincerely, "but since you've done so much for all of us, for everyone, you really deserve to have love in your life. Someone who appreciates you for who you are. It doesn't have to be now, and it doesn't have to be soon, but sometime, only whenever you feel ready, I think you should let someone else into your life. You're an incredible person, Irene, and you really don't deserve to be alone".

Irene didn't know whether to laugh or argue back. For the first time in a long time, she hadn't a clue what to do or say. Situations like these were just too tough, even for Irene Roberts.

Even behind the flawless makeup, she could see that Belle had turned pale.

"Belle, love, are you alright?" she asked, concerned.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine", she lied quickly, her voice starting to shake as she fought back tears, "I just don't want to have to say goodbye to you."

"Aw, sweetheart. That's ok. It's alright to be scared", Irene said, placing her hand over Belle's, "Don't cry though- you'll ruin all that lovely makeup!", she joked.

By now though, all the colour had drained from Belle's face. She didn't laugh in reply. She was feeling worse and worse and was rapidly running out of all energy.

"Belle!" Irene shouted in alarm as she suddenly fell to the floor.

Geoff and Amanda came running upstairs as soon as they heard the noise. They rushed to her side and desperately tried to wake her up. Even as they tried to convince themselves that it would all be fine, it was clear to all of them that this was a lot more serious than just fainting.


	16. Chapter 16

"Stay with us, sweetheart", Amanda whispered in desperation as she stroked her daughter's forehead. "The doctor will be here soon. It's alright".

Nothing was alright though. Although she had woken up, she'd probably never been so sick before. They could tell that this really was the beginning of the end- she'd never really be ok again. Her eyes were full of tears, but her face was almost expressionless. She was too weak to have control over her body. For the first time so far, it was blatantly obvious to all of them that it was all downhill from here. Planning the wedding was just too much for her. She was completely worn out. Getting into such a state isn't really something anyone in her position would be able to recover from.

Irene and Amanda knelt by her side. Even though she probably couldn't hear them, they were talking to her, in an attempt to prevent her from slipping out of consciousness. Geoff watched on anxiously. He placed a strong hand on the shoulders of the two women, trying to comfort them in some way. They both felt like they were losing a daughter, losing a part of themselves. He really didn't know what to do. It was practically the worst situation possible, to fall so ill on your wedding day, when it was already the last chance you had to get married. He was the man of the house at that time, and he felt like he should have known how to help, but in reality, there was nothing he could do except wait on the ambulance to arrive. He thought of Belle. It was painful even to watch her like that- he couldn't even begin to imagine how much she must have been suffering. He thought of Aden. He'd be waiting nervously with the guests, ready to marry his beautiful fiancée. How was he meant to tell Aden that she wouldn't be coming?

-

As they arrived at the hospital, Belle was rushed into intensive care, and Irene, Amanda and Geoff were told it would be at least a few hours before they could see her.

While Irene and Amanda stayed in the waiting room, Geoff left immediately to go tell the others what had happened. Breaking the news that the wedding was cancelled was going to be horrible, but someone had to do it.

-

Time ticked on, and Aden was getting anxious. He paced about in circles, jittery with last minute nerves and impatience, yet overcome with delight that this moment was finally here. Any minute now, Belle would arrive, and he'd get to marry the girl of his dreams. He couldn't stop smiling as he thought about it.

"Typical", Alf joked to a very tense Aden, "Bride's always late".

"Girl's need their time to get ready!" Leah smiled, "It will be worth it though, Aden, seeing her all dolled up and beautiful!"

He smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, it will".

The wedding should have started over half an hour ago, but the guests were in good spirits. Even with the very restricted time limit for preparation, they'd pulled out all the stops. Everyone knew how much this marriage meant to Belle and Aden. The decorations were perfect, and the setting was breathtaking. There was a real buzz in the atmosphere as they chatted excitedly, waiting for things to get underway.

"Hey, look, here they come!" Annie practically squealed with excitement as she saw Geoff approaching.

The guests immediately dispersed from their groups and arranged themselves in orderly rows, relieved that the waiting was finally over. However, as Geoff came close enough for them to see that he was alone, they were a little confused. Where was Belle?

He stood awkwardly as he faced the crowd. What was he meant to say? Most of them were still unaware that Belle was dying. However, he could tell by the look of disappointment and fear in Aden's eyes that he knew exactly what was going on. In a silent exchange of words, Geoff knew by Aden's brief, sincere nod, that he had permission to tell them the truth.

"Umm, I'm really sorry everyone", he said solemnly, "But I'm afraid the wedding has been cancelled".

His words were immediately met with confusion, and a series of "What?!"'s from the guests.

He interrupted them to continue, "Belle's been sick recently, and all the stress and everything must have got on top of her. She took a turn for the worst earlier and I know she really, really wanted to be here today, but she's just not well enough".

A murmuring of chaotic yet sympathetic whispers came from the confused guests. Geoff shifted about uncomfortably, unsure of what else to say. Tony and Leah, aware of the truth behind the situation, tried to take the pressure off Geoff, and therefore began to sort out the guests and organised for them all to come back to the surf club. Geoff then headed straight back to the hospital, taking Aden and Annie with him.

-

The atmosphere in the waiting room was overwhelmingly heavy. Emotions were running high, as everything had come to a standstill. They'd been trying to carry on with their lives, to keep things as normal as possible, but when Belle was in intensive care, struggling to stay alive, they really had to accept that things were changing.

They'd been assured that she would have a few more days, which was a relief for the first split second, until they realised that it was just a few days. That was it. Nothing more. Collapsing earlier that day was a warning sign of a bigger complication in her illness- one that would almost certainly shed several precious days off her already short lifespan.

It just didn't seem to make any sense that someone so full of life could have so little time left to live. She was such a big part of all their lives. They couldn't bring themselves to begin to let go. It was the first time they had all been together since the news had been broken, so everything started to come crashing down on top of them as they accepted that time really was running out.

Aden buried his head in his hands. He felt as low as he could get. God, it was meant to be the best day of his life. His wedding day was meant to be perfect; it was meant to be long, memorable, beautiful. Belle was undoubtedly the best thing that had ever happened to him. She meant absolutely everything to him. She'd made him change his ways. She'd fixed him up and made him the strong and admirable man he was today. Taking her away was like taking a huge chunk of himself away and expecting the remnants to somehow survive. He loved her. He really did love her. How was he meant to carry on, knowing that after just a few days, she'd never be coming back? He felt completely lost. The future just seemed empty, wiped clean of any plans, of any hopes, of any dreams. When she was gone, nothing would matter. He just wanted to go in and see her; to take her out of the hospital and take her somewhere where they could be alone, and just hold her for as long as he possibly could, but he couldn't even do that. He knew she had to see her specialists. She was in pain. The thought of her having to suffer drove him crazy. He felt helpless and frustrated. His bride was struggling to survive and there was absolutely nothing he could do to change that.

Annie was scared. Seeing a grown man cry was heartbreaking. She'd never seen Aden look so sad. In fact, she'd never seen anyone look so sad. Everyone else was struggling too. She could tell by the expression on Irene's face that she was trying really hard to stay strong, but she wasn't fooling anyone. Worry and defeat etched wrinkles in her skin as she struggled to comprehend the thought of losing Belle. Amanda was crying uncontrollably. Her head was exploding with regrets- not knowing of her daughter's existance for so long, treating her the way she did, breaking their already fragile relationship by going off with Drew, not spending enough time with her after they made up..the list was endless. She just wished she had enough time to make it up to Belle. Time was all any of them wanted at that moment. Sometimes though, even the simplest of wishes are the hardest to make possible. Annie remembered something she was always at church, about how when you couldn't add any time to your life, you should focus on adding life to your time. Even that seemed almost impossible though. It was so hard to think straight when everything was just a blur. They all wanted to make Belle's last few days special, but sadness was overpowering them. The hours in the waiting room seemed to last a lifetime. Doctors, patients and random people passed by unnoticed. They were all oblivious to everything. Nothing mattered except Belle at that moment. Geoff gently slipped his hand over his sister's and encouraged her to pray with him. They silently spoke in desperation to God, pleading with Him for help, for guidance. For now, it was all they could do.


	17. Chapter 17

They did a lot of soul-searching during that long and sleepless night at the hospital. They spent the hours in silence, each battling with themselves, trying to think through feelings of fear, anxiety, regret and sadness. Although Belle had insisted earlier that she refused to have hospital treatment, she had to be kept in overnight anyway for monitoring. The specialists had reviewed her condition and came to the unfortunate conclusion that since the diagnosis was so late, the tumour was spreading too quickly for them to stand by their earlier predictions for her life expectancy. They solemnly delivered the heartbreaking news to her family that she would struggle to see the end of the week. They were finding it really hard to fight off the feelings of early grief. Hearing that news was like telling them she had already died. However, as the night rolled into early morning, after hours and hours of nothing but thinking, they knew that somehow, they were going to have to push themselves through these next few days and hang on in there for Belle. It wasn't fair on her to have to spend her last couple of days in total sadness, with everyone mourning over her. They would have to disguise their own feelings for a while and put every effort into making what little time she had left special both for her and for everyone who loved her.

As visiting time eventually arrived, they hastily composed themselves, painted on brave smiles, and headed in to see her.

Her expression melted at the sight of them. Even though there was nothing she could have done to prevent it, she still felt so guilty that the wedding hadn't gone to plan.

"Aden, I'm so sorry", she said weakly, on the verge of tears, "For everything".

He went straight to her bedside and gently played with her hair, trying to get her to stop blaming herself. "Hey, it's ok", he whispered softly, "It's ok".

For a moment, it was like there was no-one else in the room. Just him and Belle. For a few seconds, everything was alright. They were together, and that was all that mattered. However, he felt like he couldn't allow himself to feel content. He had to remind himself that the girl he wanted to marry was lying dying, wired up to drips and monitors and whatever else, and they were in a room full of people. He was shocked by how sick she looked. The last time he had seen her, she was ok. Now though, she could barely keep her eyes open. He'd never seen anyone look more vulnerable in all his life. He couldn't let her see that it was getting to him though. Now really wasn't the time to dwell on things.

"Right", he said, trying to sound upbeat, "We're going to take you home soon, babe. The doctor says you can go whenever you're ready, as long as you promise to take it easy".

She nodded in agreement, and gave a small smile.

After Aden and Irene had promised the nurse about a million times that they would take good care of her, and after the doctor had grilled them over and over again about what time of day she was supposed to take each particular pill and supplement, she was finally free to go.

As they got back to Roman's, and tucked her up in bed, although they tried to appear strong, each of them knew that she would probably never leave the apartment again. She had weakened so much over the last 24 hours, that it was hard to imagine her being strong enough to make it for much longer than the next 24 hours.

There was still so much that she had left to do. She wasn't ready to go, and they weren't ready to let her go. However, they all realised that they couldn't afford to waste time hoping to change the inevitable reality. They needed to make these last moments worthwhile, no matter how hard it would be. They all wanted to be with her. They just wanted to spend as much time with her as possible, but they knew that overcrowding her wasn't right, and she needed to be with Aden. They weren't planning on letting her go without a proper sendoff though. She was far too special for that. She was loved by each and every person in the bay, and she deserved to have at least a couple of her wishes made true. If everyone pulled together, which they undoubtedly would be willing to do, she would still get to marry Aden. It was clear to everyone that that was all she really wanted, and they were determined to give her her dying wish.

-

**Sorry for the short chapter, more coming soon.**


	18. Belle

As the day drew to a close, none of them really doubted that that night would be her last. They were all surprisingly calm, outwardly at least. In a way, it hadn't quite hit them yet.

She was exhausted- completely worn out. Aden just lay beside her on their bed, holding her hand when she was asleep, and talking to her gently when she was awake, telling her how much he loved her, telling her not to worry, telling her not to be scared. He talked and talked and talked. She didn't have the energy to reply, but he knew she was listening. He didn't want to stop talking, even for a second, incase for that one second, she might feel lonely, or afraid. He wanted her to go peacefully, knowing how much they all loved her. His heart broke a little bit more every time he saw the pain in her eyes, but he just carried on talking, reminiscing about the night he climbed through her window and fell asleep on the floor, drunk. She remembered that night well, and tried to laugh. The sound was weak and full of pain. He had to turn around so she wouldn't see he was crying.

Downstairs, Irene, Amanda, Geoff, Annie and Nicole were rushed off their feet. They were absolutely determined to give her her dying wish, and were doing everything possible to make that happen. It wouldn't exactly be a very conventional wedding, but neither Belle nor Aden had wanted a fuss in the first place. The simple, low-key marriage in the living room would mean more to them than a fancy wedding in an expensive location.

In a way, organising the wedding helped take their minds off things a little. They didn't really have time to think about what was really going on. For the first hour or two after they came back from the hospital, they had all been devastated. Realising that her time had been cut so short was hard to take in. They kept thinking about how she was never going to get the chance to fulfil her dreams. She'd worked so hard over the last few years, and when she'd finally pieced together a decent future, it was gone. However, as Irene opened up about a time when Belle had confided in her about her list of dreams, they realised that although it was far too late for most of them, one or two of her wishes maybe wouldn't be so impossible to achieve if they all tried hard enough. She would never get to see another Christmas, but thanks to much persuasion from Annie, they were going to do their best to have a little white Christmas of their own, just like Belle had always wanted.

They only had a couple of hours to get things ready. They wanted the wedding to take place first thing the following morning. Although they had gone to so much effort for the proper wedding the previous day, it was almost as if they were starting from scratch again. When her condition took that unexpected turn for the worst, it changed everything completely. It would be an entirely different type of wedding for a start- all that mattered now was that Aden and Belle would get to be husband and wife. They wouldn't need to get dressed up. They wouldn't need lots of guests. It would just be them, and their very closest family and friends, in the living room of the apartment. Belle didn't have the energy for anything more. Irene had slipped into the room at around midday, and promised her that no matter what it would take, she was going to marry Aden. They hoped that telling her that would allow her to stop worrying, and to enjoy her final few hours. She promised Belle that she didn't need to worry about anything- they would have it all under control. She then quickly left the room. Part of her really, really wanted to stay, but she knew that it was only fair to let her be alone with Aden. Anyone could see that the young couple meant the world to each other.

-

It was hard to plan a wedding two weeks in advance, but it was even harder to plan a wedding that was less than 24 hours away. Although the community wanted to give Belle's loved ones some space, knowing that they shouldn't crowd the family at such a time, they were willing to do anything to help them out with whatever they needed. Angelo had contacted some people to legalise the wedding at such short notice, and he also organised for a vicar to marry the couple.

Leah, Nicole and Ruby had helped Annie get decorations for the room to make it special for Belle. They'd found a little Christmas tree in Leah's attic, as well as some fairy lights. Annie was determined to make the whole Christmas thing perfect. It was just about the only thing that she could do for Belle right now, and she wanted to do it right. They'd talked and joked about her wish to see a white Christmas several times before. Even though it was a bit random, ever since she was about five years old, it was something that Belle had always wanted to do- sort of like a childhood dream that she never grew out of. Annie had always been pretty keen on the idea too, much to Belle's delight. Neither of them had ever seen snow before. They'd had it all planned out. In a few years time, they were both going to fly to New York City, go to the shops, see the statue of liberty, and spend Christmas there. Either that, or they would go all out and go to Lapland. They hadn't quite decided yet. As far-fetched as it seemed, and even though it started out as only a joke, it really was something that they wanted to do at some stage of their lives, Belle in particular. Although they wouldn't get to do that, Annie was keen to do anything she could to give Belle at least part of her dream Christmas. Luckily, she was a quick-thinker and had plenty of ideas, so with a bit of help, the goal didn't seem that unrealistic. Even though it was a Sunday, Miles managed to get Bartlett to open the school. Geoff had remembered about a fake snow machine that had been used in Christmas plays. It hung from the ceiling and gently sprinkled out little flakes onto the ground. It was the perfect size for the apartment too. Bartlett was more than willing to help out with the unusual request. Belle was a past pupil of his, and helping his students was important to him. No matter how unconventional or weird the arrangements were, if it brought any of Belle's dreams closer to reality, it would definitely be worth it.

-

By morning, emotions were running high, but they were all trying to remain quite calm. It was hard to force a smile when they knew that Belle was so close to death, but they were fully intent on making this last day as special as possible. Geoff, Annie and Nicole had stayed up late into the night trying to make the room look perfect. The vicar had arrived, and Aden had put on his wedding suit. Irene and Amanda had spent the morning with Belle. She wasn't really strong enough to get dressed up properly and to have her hair done. No-one would mind that she was just in her white nightdress instead of a wedding dress, as long as she was there. Instead, they slid a few flowery clips into her hair, and gave her a beautiful necklace to wear. She deserved to feel special.

-

The atmosphere was tinged with sadness as Irene and Amanda joined Geoff, Annie, Nicole, and the vicar downstairs. It didn't seem right that such a beautiful day had to be surrounded by such tragic circumstances, but they couldn't change reality.

They had decided that tradition really wasn't important at a time like this. At that moment, it didn't feel right to have anyone walk her down the 'aisle', except Aden.

He found it heartbreaking, as he gently lifted his bride out of bed and carried her downstairs, but it put a smile on his face to see the way her eyes lit up as she saw the living room. Everything looked beautiful. She really hadn't expected to see the room decorated like that- she had no idea about Annie's plan. It really did look like it was snowing. The tree was placed neatly in the corner, and the room was adorned perfectly with Christmas lights. Everything was white. A few candles and little statues of angels provided the finishing touches. Even though it could have easily ended up looking very tacky and out-of-place, given the current season, Nicole was good with things like that, and they had managed to make the decorations look gentle and beautiful.

Belle slowly cast her eyes around the room, delighted at what she was seeing.

"Snowflakes in July", she mumbled softly with tears in her eyes.

Aden tenderly kissed her forehead in reply.

Given the circumstances, the vicar had shortened the words Belle would have to say to a bare minimum. Today, she was understandably weaker than ever, and didn't have enough strength to repeat lines and lines of vows.

Aden spoke his vows first.

"I, Aden, take you Belle to be my wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; for as long as we both shall live".

He put particular emphasis on the word 'both'. He would never, ever stop loving Belle. Ever.

"Do you, Belle, take Aden to be your husband?" the vicar asked.

She was shaking. Aden wrapped his arms around her a little tighter, trying to comfort her. He was still carrying her.

"It's ok, babe. It's ok", he whispered softly to her. She looked like she was about to cry. The whole situation was a bit overwhelming, but even though she was struggling, everything felt just right. This was exactly where she wanted to be. She was marrying the man she loved, and that was what she had wanted more than anything.

"I do", she said quietly.

A huge smile broke across Aden's face as he felt her relax comfortably in his arms. He could see the contented look in her eyes. Her expression was calm and peaceful. Even though everything was so wrong, this felt right.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife", the vicar confirmed.

Each and every one of the guests was in tears as they watched the young couple. The five of them sat in a close group. It was heartbreaking for them to see how good Aden and Belle were together, but at the same time, they were happy that she was spending her last few hours content, now that her dream had come true.


End file.
